Why Do We Celebrate Matariki?: A Fun, Educational, and Illustrated Holiday Book for Kids and Curious Minds About the Māori New Year - Couverture souple

Neseli, Ahmet

Couverture souple

ISBN 13 : 9798192481059

Editeur : Independently published, 2026

Synopsis

Look toward the winter sky and welcome a new year of remembrance, togetherness, planning, and hope!

Why do families in New Zealand gather outdoors before sunrise during the coldest part of winter? What can a small cluster of stars tell people about rain, wind, crops, rivers, and the sea? Why Do We Celebrate Matariki? offers young readers a respectful introduction to the Māori New Year.

Matariki is the Māori name for the star cluster also known as the Pleiades. For many Māori communities, its return to the predawn sky in June or July signals a time to remember those who have died, celebrate the present, and prepare for the year ahead.

Here is what you will discover inside:
• Nine Remarkable Stars: Meet Matariki and the eight stars connected with remembrance, wishes, weather, water, food, health, and wellbeing.
• Māori Astronomy: Learn how experts observed the sun, moon, stars, and natural world to understand seasons, weather, farming, and fishing.
• A Ceremony Before Sunrise: Experience whāngai i te hautapu (feeding the stars with a sacred offering), with food cooked in an earth oven, prayers, remembrance, and steam rising toward the sky.
• Remember, Celebrate, and Plan: Discover the three central ideas of Matariki—honoring those who have died, appreciating the people with us now, and preparing for the future.
• A National Holiday: Follow Matariki’s modern revival and learn how New Zealand celebrated its first official Matariki public holiday in 2022.
• Visual Delight and Living Traditions: Enjoy beautiful, minimalist colorful illustrations filled with winter stars, family gatherings, traditional kites, earth-oven feasts, telescopes, light shows, and handwritten wishes.

Different iwi (tribes or nations) may follow different stars, dates, and customs, and the book explains why each tradition belongs to its own people and place.

Perfect for families, classrooms, homeschoolers, and young cultural explorers, this book celebrates memory, community, nature, Māori knowledge, and hopeful new beginnings.

Grab your copy today and welcome the Māori New Year beneath the stars!

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Independently published
• Date d'édition: 2026
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 13: 9798192481059
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 78
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Manufactured by Amazon on behalf of the author; https://www.amazon.fr/hz/contact-us; ; c/o Amazon Media EU S.à.r.l., 38 Avenue John F. Kennedy; Luxembourg; L-1855; Luxembourg